Former Thai PM Thaksin makes formal bid for Man City

By Nopporn Wong-Anan

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has made a formal bid to take over English soccer club Manchester City, his spokesman said on Saturday.

"What I can say now is we have tendered a bid for the team," Thaksin's lawyer Noppadon Pattama told Reuters by telephone.

Thaksin, who has not returned to Thailand since a bloodless military putsch in September, made an indicative proposal to Manchester City earlier this month but no further details have been released since.

"We had to be silent because we had to follow the stock regulations as we are trying to buy a listed company," said Noppadon.

A leading Thai newspaper said on Saturday that a 100 million- pound deal had already been reached, but Noppadon said this was premature.

"The deal is not formally or legally concluded yet," he said when asked to comment on the Thai Rath report.

The report also said billionaire telecoms tycoon Thaksin would become club chairman and that he wanted to bring in former Chelsea coach Claudio Ranieri to replace sacked manager Stuart Pearce.

Thaksin would also put four Thai businessmen on the club's executive board and push for some Thai national team players to play in the club's reserve teams, the newspaper said.